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Month: February 2014

Earlier in the series, Heroclixin’ wrote that being mostly wildcards was a weakness for the all-Legion force. But as we’ve seen, quite a lot of team abilities are actually available for the team. Let’s look at each.

Animal ATA. This gives the team a shot at being able to bypass enemy Stealth or Shape Change each turn. It’s a cheap option for the wildcards at just 4 points with only a couple members who can equip it: Chameleon Girl and Timber Wolf [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes].

Green Lantern Honor Guard. It’s 5 points and gives the Legion +1 AV for each attack on a certain target. Consider it a bargain version of various attack TAs the team can use. It’s one to use in conjunction with other copyable TAs. Its drawback is just a couple of Sources: Earth Man, Mon-El [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes]

Justice League Dark ATA: Similarly, this one is OK as a ward against enemy range. It’s probably best with a non-Stealthed Legion bunker. Sources: Superman [Battle for Smallville Fast Forces], Supergirl [Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces]

Justice League New 52 ATA: This one should only be considered if you’re running one or more dedicated Leadership pieces that will ALWAYS have a pal next to him or her and you’re not going to be running a better ATA for the points. The good thing about this 2-point ATA is that you only have to use it at the beginning of the turn when you’re using Leadership; the rest of the time, you can switch to more offensive or defensive TAs. Sources: Superman [Battle for Smallville Fast Forces], Supergirl [Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces]

Justice League [Silver Age]: The Legion takes some time to set up its attack due to its all-flier nature. This ATA gives it flexibility to pick its target at the opportune time. It’s the priciest of the JL ATAs at 4 apiece. Sources: Superman [Battle for Smallville Fast Forces], Supergirl [Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces]

Justice Society. Low DVs are a bane for much of the Legion’s history. With this TA, the superteens can share higher DVs. Defend is the basis for the Legion bunker, and JSA only extends its viability. Drawback is that it’s not compatible with most of the Superman Ally members of the Legion who are the team’s better fighters. Sources: Starman [Superman 039], Legion Lost ATA.

Kryptonian ATA. This 2-pointer only works on certain areas of certain maps and probably needs to be reserved for ranged combat-heavy Legion squads. But it’s unfortunately not very compatible with a bunker tactic, which likes hindering terrain. Should be the last ATA you pick unless one is very confident in map choice and has the team to exploit it. Sources: Superman [Battle for Smallville Fast Forces], Supergirl [Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces]

Legion Founders ATA. A new ability, the three original members can use this ATA to help boost a given attack between +1 and +6, depending on how many Founders you began the game with. It’s 3 points. Sources: Cosmic Boy [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 001 and 201], Lightning Lad [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 003 and 203], Saturn Girl [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 002 and 202]

Legionnaires ATA. For 2 points each, the LSH can get a major action advantage when its heaviest hitter goes down. The downside is that, well, it’s losing its heaviest hitter to get any real mileage from this ATA. It’s best fielded on swarm teams with some natural TAs to wildcard but can’t afford a better ATA. Sources: All Legion of Super-Heroes

Legion Lost ATA. Just like Thunderbolts ATA but for for DC, this 4-point pick-a-TA ability is MADE for the all-Legion squad. The drawback is that using it means leaving off some of the keyword’s best pieces that have non-wildcard TAs and that the chosen TA will be the ONLY TA usable by this force. But Legion Lost gives the team access to many more TAs these wild cards otherwise wouldn’t get. If one is not using a Legionnaire with the ability to invite temps to the team, this is an ATA to leave room for. Sources: All Legion of Super-Heroes

Mystics. All-Legion teams can be large, so this is a good TA for the team. Source: Black Witch, Legion Lost ATA

New Teen Titans ATA. I suppose if one is hungry for always having one extra Leadership figure on the team, this is the ATA for it. It’s only 3 points. Sources: Superboy [DC 75th Anniversary], Supergirl [Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces]

Robot ATA. This uncopyable ATA only fits on one Legionnaire to date: its Source, Computo. Do not use it unless you’ve managed to add a non-Legion member Robot to the team along with Computo via trait or relic. 4 points per.

Superman Ally. The most likely TA for an all-Legion force to wildcard to, this one is good for the shooters on the team but completely useless for its melee pieces thanks to their ubiquitous Flight ability. Sources: Superboy [DC 75th Anniversary 026, Superman+Legion of Super-Heroes], Supergirl [Crisis, Superman, Battle for Smallville Fast Forces, Unleashed], Superman [Battle for Smallville Fast Forces], Mon-El [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes], Legion Lost ATA

Teen Titans. It’s almost the only way for the Legion to heal, and it sort of gets around the Legion’s general inability to push. The downside is that the Legion really needs its actions for positioning and attacking. Source: Superboy [DC 75th Anniversary 026], Legion Lost ATA

Young Justice ATA. This defensive team ability gives a bit of KO prevention to members of the Legion. It best works with a bunker formation due to its adjacency requirement. And given that its source character also has the Teen Titans symbol, this 4-point ATA works well in tandem. Source: Superboy [DC 75th Anniversary 026]

Finally, there’s the option to use the Gravity Feed founders to invite multiple characters to the Legion who might supply any of the game’s remaining TAs for the team to either wild card to or simply add to the force without breaking theme, including:

That concludes Heroclixin’s F.U.N. Focus on the Legion of Super-Heroes. I, for one, am looking forward to a huge-point game where I can run almost every single Modern Age member minus Superboy and Black Witch.

It’s exactly 3000 points.

Next: At the time of this writing, the full roster of new Legion figures is unknown, so Heroclixin’ might take a short break from this F.U.N. Focus to await more spoilers. Long Live the Legion.

Earlier in this series, Heroclixin’ wrote that 2011’s Superman set had the mother lode of Legionnaires at 11. But that’s NOTHING compared with 2014’s Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes’ TWENTY-SEVEN.

As you might expect, this set changes the game for the Legion in a big way. Let’s look at how.Cosmic Boy (Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 001) ups the ante on both the Leadership and Telekinesis earlier versions of the character was known for. He bears SP Leadership that works on even the most expensive Legionnaires. His version of TK is even better: It can be used twice for free, and free once more if he has two tokens. And he’s Indomitable. Suddenly, the Legion’s action disadvantage feels a lot more manageable, especially if you can hit those Leaderships. He’s also a Legion Founder, so use the ATA to help land that clutch hit. He’s 90 points the Legion shouldn’t do without. Hidden Charm: Might want to ignore the Indom. to push to click 2, where he gains Running Shot and a double-digit AV to function as a mid-game fighter at need.

Saturn Girl (Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 002) is also a marked improvement and update over her pre-2014 predecessors. She’s got the starting Perplex and Mind Control of the Cosmic Justice classic mixed with the Super Senses defense and 2 damage of the 2007 version with the 8 range of both. The 31st Century’s foremost telepath is now more offensive with Penetrating/Psychic Blast and, most of all, starting with click 2, SP Mind Control that’s

free when she’s untokened

gives her +1 for tokens on her target

doesn’t cause her feedback.

At 94 points — or 97 with Legion Founder ATA — she’s a lot pricier than most other Saturn Girls. But she’s better than the older ones combined and still cheaper than the 102-point Gravity Feed version.Hidden Charm: Keep pushing her as part of a Legion bunker. She gets Energy Shield/Deflection to bolster her DV and Precision Strike to make her MC attacks unevadable. Enhancement is just gravy.

There’s just no comparison in the case of Lightning Lad (Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 003) to his now-Golden-Age incarnations. This is a 104-point cannon of a piece: Running Shot, Penetrating/Psychic Blast, Ranged Combat Expert. By mid-dial, he gets the “Arc Lightning” SP made famous by Electro [Amazing Spider-Man 021] but improved — it gets around the new Damage Depletion Modifier rule and is accompanied on most clicks by Precision Strike. He can be part of a bunker or support the heavier hitters on the front line. Hidden Charm: Don’t overlook the Force Blast interspersed along his dial.

Bearing the team’s best starting AV (12) and range (10) and more, Mon-El [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 005b] is the new leading Hypersonic man for the LSH. He’s got an extra TA in Superman Ally, too, and a dial that, while a little short for his 175 points, never quits. His Hidden Charm is that this tentpole is a good bunker fig as well with his Defend+1 trait.

Remember how this series told you to remember Triplicate Girl from Origin, because that REV works well with the T-Girl 206 from this set? Now that Heroclixin’s gotten a look at Triplicate Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 006], the sentiment is, well, tripled. When next to two of her sisters, this 71-pointer gets to roll 3 dice and pick the best two on attacks, and nerf enemy rolls by a d6. She’s short-lived, though, and all but required to be run in multiples. Hidden Charm: Use her full dial of Empower to aid pals in melee.

Shrinking Violet [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 007] brings Stealthed Outwit to the Legion for 75 points, the first member naturally packing the potent power combo. Her Tiny Size makes her easily positioned for best lines of fire. Perplex follows on her back half. Hidden Charm: Her Stealth and high DV make her an ideal anchor for the Legion bunker if the team has access to the JSA TA.

Phantom Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 008] is a surprising 72-point moving attacker with the ability to combo her Phasing/Teleport with a free close combat action against a character she moves through. And that’s not accounting for her ability against objects, relics and resources. Her Hidden Charm is to pick either Incap or Exploit Weakness as her free attack on clicks 2-3.

A long-awaited addition to the Legion, Polar Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 010] brings both another Enhancement and Barrier piece to the team. Both roles are facilitated by a good long run of Sidestep. Double-target SP Incap that drops 2 tokens on a victim instead is icing [heh] on this cake. Then there’s his trait, leading to his Hidden Charm: Heroclixin’ has gone on quite a bit about the “Legion bunker” tactic that was about the only way to run the team for a number of years. But I’m sure some readers have considered that, in the modern game, this tactic is just asking to be rudely treated to Energy Explosion attacks. Polar Boy’s trait makes him, his adjacent pals, and any OTHER targets the foe’s also looking to light up immune to Energy Explosion.

Sensor Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 011] makes up somewhat for the crushing disappointment that was Princess Projectra [Superman]. First, she has better utility with

natural 5 range Barrier instead of 4 for Barrier only;

She starts with PC instead of ending with it;

She has a decent 10 AV and 3 damage;

She starts Stealthy;

And she has traited enemy-only Perplex on AV or DV.

All this works superbly for her because with Improved Targeting: hindering and Characters, she can do it from the back of a Legion bunker. She’s not quite the ultimate supporting figure for the team, but she’s definitely among the best. Hidden Charm: Her DV holds pretty solidly, so don’t be afraid to push.

Tyroc [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 012] is a combo of relatively straightforward 96-point mobile shooter and rainbow-dialed Leadership figure. A little soft-shelled, but never lands on a bad click thanks to Pulse Wave and 2-bolt Incap showing later. Hidden Charm: Use the alternating Running Shot and Force Blast clicks to his advantage.

With the average Legion member rating about 100 points nowadays, it was time for a new Timber Wolf [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 015]. 97 points gives us a basic Indomitable, Charge+BCF Battle Fury fig. Later, he gets a little range ability via SP and free Regen if he’s on the attack. Hidden Charm: He ignores characters for movement, so use him to tie up — and beat up — whomever he wants.

Ultra Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 018] is a new heavy hitter for the Legion. He’s got three SPs each offering him the choice of two to three powers:

Charge or Running Shot;

Super Strength, Penetrating/Psychic Blast or Energy Explosion;

Impervious or ESD and Super Senses

…allowing the Indomitable Ultra Boy to adjust to the situation he faces. But it’s his Improved Targeting that may be the true Hidden Charm that makes him worth his 165 points and more as he sees through hindering and blocking alike for both attacking and using less aggressive powers, too, such a themed team PC or Superman Enemy Outwit via the Legion Lost ATA.

Blok [Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes 020] is a standard brick for the LSH, with one important addition: INDOMITABLE. He’s one of the few Indom. characters at all for the team. Part of the problem is that the LSH has been no-shows in so many of the sets since the ability was created. He’s a little slow, but it matters a lot less when he’s Charging regardless of characters and through wall. Hidden Charm: Willpower and his starting stats make him a good candidate for chaining combat values through either Batman Enemy or Justice Society TAs. Choose your Legion Lost ATA wisely.

Wildfire [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 021] is a LOT more costly than the 2011 or 2005 versions at a whopping 180 points. But he gets the immediate mobility of the Legacy REV with the mid-dial heal ability of the Superman rare, only better in both regards: He improves on AV and gets TWO “stop” clicks with high DV, armor and free Regeneration. He’s a hell of a Pulse Wave fig, too, with a SP that hits multiples with his normal damage using the power. Hidden Charm: Poison on his Regen clicks might be the way to go. Phase to a soft target that can’t get through his armor.

Gates [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 022] singlehandedly solves the one of the biggest problems the Legion’s always had, of being a team full of taxis that badly needed one themselves. His Speed SP allows him to carry 4 pals, fliers or not. He can set up the Legion bunker by himself, sparing the actual members the actions. He pushes to Perplex on click 2. Simply put, he belongs on every LSH team, ever. He’ll show up on many NON-Legion teams, too. Hidden Charm: With his 4-6 Super Senses, the little bug also makes for a decently survivable tie-up piece at need.

Dawnstar [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 030] looks like the first downgrade among the new remakes, being more expensive [81 points] and losing both the opening Willpower that made the Crisis Dawny so effective and the AV boost she gave against a given target. But this one’s ability to clear the whole team’s LOF to an otherwise hidden target more than makes up for the losses. She’s still Hypersonic, too. Hidden Charm: She’s much more survivable, DV-wise.

Chameleon Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 031] brings a lot of options to the team in a 115-point package aside from her Charge, thanks to two “beginning of turn” skills.

Pick boot, wing or dolphin symbol in case you need her to be carryable, to fly or to swim this turn.

Pick Tiny symbol or Giant symbol or normal in case you want her carryable/hard to shoot or to see/punch over stuff or neither this turn.

Pick Incap and Poison or Combat Reflexes and Exploit Weakness or Flurry and Sidestep.

Hidden Charm? Her whole everything is a hidden charm, sometimes literally thanks to traited Stealth and Shape Change. But really, it’s her many clicks of Perplex, which work well with her shifting abilities.

Whereas the first version way back in 2006’s Giants set was little more than an oversized support piece, today’s Colossal Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 032] is a 154-point beastick with Charge and Impervious and great stats. Unlike nearly every other giant, he can shrink to human height or grow even bigger via his Size Change trait, giving him unparalleled flexibility.
Need to avoid LOF from Penetrating/Psychic Blast threats? Choose normal symbol.
Want to sock a target two squares away? Giant symbol.
Have two tokens [because he’s Indomitable] and need to act anyway? Colossal symbol, which adds bonus Impervious from range attacks.

Hidden Charm: Play him with Chameleon Girl and put her in harm’s way to activate his wall-smashing, no-breakaway needed, free action full-speed Charge to retaliate.

The game — and the Legion — has come a long way since the original Shadow Lass REV first made the team viable for the first time. The newest Shadow Lass [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 035] is a rather different kind of fig. Rather than Defending a Legion bunker, she serves to guard members from enemy fire with her special traited Smoke Cloud, which totally prevents line of fire to friends and prevent enemies from seeing, period. Paired with a Telekinesis ally, she can exert an extreme degree of control over the game’s pace. Not bad for 78 points, though it’s the only thing she’s got to offer. Hidden Charm: With 3 damage or Incap or Flurry or CCE along her dial, she’s got the melee ability to deal with attackers who tire of her shadowplay.

Glorith [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 036] is the new PC specialist for the Legion, bearing a little more than the old Dream Girl with Perplex bundled in, too. A hit — or push — leads to a dial-long run of Pulse Wave. She frequently also has Toughness and, always Super Senses. Rather costly at 83 points for a short life, though. Hidden Charm: Team her up with the Black Witch for access to the Mystics TA.

Computo [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 045] is barely a Legionnaire; indeed, he’s more like a tool-turned-enemy-turned-tool-again. But he’s got the keyword and so should be looked at. The rogue robot is loaded with features:

Anti-object/relic/resource tech: Because he can target foes equipped with or even within a square of objects, Computo can really screw with enemy forces.

He’s a rare Legionnaire that can be carried, if only on his first click.

Flurry, Precision Strike, Quake.

With CHARGE.

GIANT REACH CHARGE.

AND OUTWIT!!!!

This ‘bot may be undercosted at 144 points, especially against the right team. Hidden Charm: A rare non-affiliated member with the keyword, he’ll need the Legion Lost ATA to have access to a team ability. [Robot ATA is no good on a Legion team since he’s the only one with the prerequisite TA.

The appearance of Superboy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 046], the first-ever classic “Superman When He Was A Boy” figure actually NAMED Superboy, adds another beater to the Legion front line with his 8 range, 11 AV and 4 damage. But he works well as a bunker character, too, thanks first to his trait granting Leadership and, for cheaper adjacent allies, Willpower. Then there’s his Enhancement —and, later, Empower — making him great for his teammates at either his 175 or 100 cost. Hidden Charm: His SP granting melee-only HSS can combine with the Force Blast also bundled within it.

White Witch [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 047a] is one heck of a nerf piece: she can either effectively Outsider a whole enemy team at the cost of a power action, or she can cap enemies’ free actions at one for free. She also ignores the Mystics TA and, most blessedly for the Legion, is the team’s first healer starting on click 2. Though it’s unlikely she’ll see enough combat to rack up the hits, she can Battlefield Promote into her Black Witch persona. Hidden Charm: With her beau Blok, she can use Mastermind on him and stick around a good long time.

Black Witch [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 047b], the darker version of the mage, would be overpriced at 170 points if all she brought was offensive firepower, copious though it might be: Starting Penetrating/Psychic Blast that shifts to Energy Explosion and ends on PW with RCE, Ppx and MC interspersed. It’s her trait that makes her a bit more worth running, as she can pull in 20 points’ worth of relics into the game. At the very least, that’s nigh-indestructible hindering terrain for the Stealthy. Hidden Charm: Thanks to traited Defend and DV that never drops below 17, she’s perfect for a Legion bunker. She’s also a lot more durable than most centerpieces for the tactic with her Invincible and Invulnerability stacking atop Mystics TA.

Tellus [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 048] is all about the telepathic link trait allowing pals within 4 squares of him to see through other pals within 4 squares of him. This alleviates a big problem with the swarming team that is the Legion of Super-Heroes constantly blocking each other’s LOF. He also serves as a TK and PC fig. Well worth the 82 price. Hidden Charm: Add Mind Control to the mix, and Tellus is yet another welcome support star for the LSH.

On a Legion team, Mon-El [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 102] wastes a lot of his 200 points on the useless Green Lantern Corps TA. But he’s still a solid figure, bearing 2-bolt 8 range, Running Shot, bundled Barrier/Penetrating/Psychic Blast/Energy Explosion/ESD, and his usual Impervious and high damage. Hidden Charm: But hey. There’s a relic that could make that GLC TA so NOT useless.

Shrinking Violet [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 103], the third iteration of the character in this set alone, is all support with her starting Perplex that shifts to Enhancement then ends with a run of Empower. It’s frankly really hard to see how she costs 75 points…this should be a cheaper dial. Hidden Charm: She shares the “Morph: Shrinking Violet” trait to be able to turn to either of the others, or to pull her in if you need this one’s powerset.

And, finally, one last piece that’s not a figure but belongs on nearly every Legion team:

Legion Flight Ring [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes S102] is easy to pick up [3-6 roll] and, in addition to granting the Wing symbol, Legion of Super-Heroes keyword and Defend and Toughness, it allows fliers to be carried. Hidden Charm: It can be fielded in multiples, too. At 5 points, it’s the perfect points filler for a Legion team.

Next: There’s one more thing to examine when focusing on the Legion of Super-Heroes: Team abilities. Check Heroclixin’s take soon!

It’s a dark time for the Legion in comics. For the first time in its history, there appears to be NO Legion of Super-Heroes anything on the horizon. So imagine Legion fans’ surprise to see a whole set in HeroClix with the Legion brand coming in 2014. How’s it affect the goal of building the all-Legion force? Read on to see how the Legionnaires in the 10-figure CTD help the roster:Cosmic Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 201] adds another dimension to the bunker technique with his SP granting Toughness to adjacent friends when he’s in hindering terrain. Better still is his other SP bearing Perplex and Leadership that adds a bonus of token removal from any adjacent Legionnaire on a 6 roll. And like many other iterations of Cos, he’s got the Willpower+TK combo. Mid-dial, he’s a Running Shot + Pulse Wave piece, if only for a light 1 damage. Hidden Charm: Maybe you’d rather use his Enhancement, since he’s already surrounded by friends, likely. That he’s all this — and more, as we’ll see — for just 70 points is pretty awesome.

Saturn Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 202] gives the Legion another Prob Control piece at 102 points, which seems a little steep. But it’s not her only role; rather, she’s a 7-range, 11 AV Mind Control and Incap figure that transitions into a Penetrating/Psychic Blaster around midlife. She also gets a defense SP that allows her to choose Combat Reflexes or ESD for a round. Hidden Charm: She alternates to Outwit between PC clicks, so push her if you need to cut off enemy powers. She’s also got an important trait she shares with both the next and preceding figures...

Lightning Lad [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 203] is an Indomitable double-target Energy Explosion and Running Shot that switches to Running Shot Pulse Wave mid-dial and alternates between Ranged Combat Expert and Perplex throughout. Any questions? Hidden Charm: With a trait that he shares with the above two characters, Lightning Lad gets to invite a single 50-point character to gain the Legion of Super-Heroes keyword and Wing symbol to the team. This really opens wide the possibilities for the LSH — especially because if the others with this trait don’t use it, he can invite a 100-point character instead and still maintain a theme team. This is the ultimate game-changer for an all-Legion team, as it drastically reduces the chance that these mostly wild cards will be stuck without a TA to copy. He’s the costliest of the three, though, and with a more generic role.

The only fig in the game with double targets and 0 range, Ultra Boy [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 204] brings a combination of Hypersonic punching and soft Enhancement at first, before pushing to become the Invulnerable Super Strength piece he’s better known as. Then he gets Willpower and SP Penetrating/Psychic Blast at 6 range [so THAT’S what the 2 arrows are for) for most of his late dial. It’s an interesting, wild 100-point clix whose Hidden Charm is that he works well both as a front line fighter and as a bunker supporter based on where he’s landed on his dial.

Triplicate Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 206] gets the “play one, get multiples” treatment seen in various forms across the past few years in ‘Clix. She brings two bystanders with her powers, stats and team ability with her, essentially tripling her presence on the board for 87 points. Her 9 AV is low for the cost, but she brings the swarm action the Legion’s needed. Hidden Charm:She’s got three, actually.

The sister pogs don’t possess her powers, so they can serve as an anti-Outwit shield for the main Trip.

Losing one gives the remaining two perma-Willpower. Might be worth losing the 0 points for the action advantage.

Her Empower SP works fine with the earlier Triplicate Girls from Origin to give them a much harder punch.

Shrinking Violet [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 207] is a surprising butt-kicker for one so small, for a few reasons:

Charge. She’s got four squares of reach.

Precision Strike. She doesn’t care about her low 1 damage because it’s getting through no matter what.

Willpower. 18 DV is solid, too.

Close Combat Expert. Combined with the above, she can deliver quite the one-two punch.

She transitions to a tie-up fig with Combat Reflexes+Shape Change and then Super Senses. At 75 points, she’s a little costly to be so short, but her Hidden Charm makes up it: She has the option of picking Tiny Size at the cost of -3 Speed in the beginning of her turn — which is no problem for her because she’s going to be hitching rides with her taller teammates anyhow, now being one of the few Legionnaires that can be carried by normal pals.

Phantom Girl [Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes 208] is a lot like the original 2007 version, what with her Phasing/Teleport skills and SP to disrupt enemy tactics. This time she’s affecting Robot and Vehicle keywords rather than objects. At 80 points, she’s far too expensive for this silver bullet role, though. Better to focus on her Hidden Charm: She has Empower on her starting and middle clicks, the latter with Defend and Sidestep, too. She can back up some of the more fragile, lower-cost melee allies like Timber Wolf and Karate Kid nicely.

Next: At the time of this writing, the full roster of new Legion figures is unknown, so Heroclixin’ might take a short break from this F.U.N. Focus to await more spoilers. Long Live the Legion.

The Legion had a few more additions in their 21st Century members featured in the Smallville Fast Forces pack.

Superman (Battle for Smallville Fast Forces 001) 200 points buys one of the best starting AVs for the LSH. Better still is the Superman Ally TA he lends to the team for anti-Stealth action. But his 150-point level is a little better because of his starting Hypersonic Speed and Probability Control, both of which work best with the biggest he brings to the Legion: His ability to share his fine 18 DV with the vast number of sub-101-point Legionnaires to create a fine defensive bunker between attacks. Hidden Charm: Make sure he’s fielded with Starman to get the JSA TA to chain his DV to the Legionnaires over 100 points.

Supergirl (Battle for Smallville Fast Forces 002) is even better than her famous cousin. At just 100 points, she brings the same HSS + 11 AV Super Strength 4 damage as her twice-as-expensive main set version, only shedding the Impervious and a click of range. She’s less pushable, too, but she doesn’t have to carry nearly as much of the fighting load. Her Hidden Charm is that the rest of her dial deals some sort of penetrating damage, so pushing her may well be worth it.

2011’s Superman set gave us the Legion motherlode with a whopping 11 choices to fill out the team with. Suddenly, building a formidable Legion team seemed within the realm of possibility.

Star Boy (Superman 007) adds another Telekinesis fig to get Legionnaires into position. With only the single opening click of the power, though, he’s instead best fielded for his Mass Increase trait that shuts down foes with 4 squares from starting Running Shot, Hypersonic Speed or Charge actions and halves their speed. He’s a short-lived and soft-skinned 78-point stall technique that might buy the rest of the Legion a chance to do something before he dies. A fairly essential member at this point. Hidden Charm: After pushing off TK, he’s got two-target Incap with Running Shot and an end-dial Pulse Wave, so he’s not all finesse.

Brainiac 5 (Superman 008) brought key supporting powers to the team courtesy of his SP bundling Outwit and either Perplex or part-time Probability Control. Better is that he was more survivable than most characters in his cost range with Invulnerability. Hidden Charm: He also can help an adjacent Legionnaire by granting it Toughness. Any number of soft-shelled LSHers could thus benefit.

Supergirl (Superman 010)
With 11 Speed and AV with HSS, she’s the flat-out best leading attacker for the team — and at 200 points, she ought to be. She also brings the Superman Ally TA for the wildcards. If only she were Indomitable, she’d be perfect. But with HSS on click #2 as well, she’s worth pushing in the right situation. She can lead a Legion team of any build. Her 100-point dial is much less imposing but still brings the best starting AV and damage for the cost. Hidden Charm: She could loan the either Kryptonian ATA to the wild cards, too, for a needed AV bonus on certain elevated terrain, or any one of three different Justice League ATAs granting, respectively, +1 AV against a team symbol, bonus to Leadership rolls, or +1 DV against enemy fliers/sharpshooters/giants/Indomitables.

Sun Boy (Superman 022) is that other mobile, mid-cost ranged attacker the Legion’s needed since 2007’s Lightning Lad. At 79 points, he brings Running Shot+ Penetrating/Psychic Blast + Pulse Wave to the game. Though he’s completely armor-free, he’s nonetheless a front-line must for any Legion team. Hidden Charm: Don’t be afraid to get in base with a Running Shot Pulse Wave. Mid-dial Poison makes him dangerous in close, and he’s got Willpower for his whole back end.

Earth Man (Superman 023) is an interesting piece to use. First, he’s a bit of a swiss army knife thanks to his Absorbancy SP allowing him to copy adjacent attack powers, friend or foe. Paired with his opening Running Shot, that offers a fair number of options likely to show on his Legion teammates:

Telekinesis

Pulse Wave

Penetrating/Psychic Blast

Incapacitate

Energy Explosion, though with only one target, he’s not very good at it

Super Strength. Surprise a foe by using Running Shot to throw a light object 8 squares. Or pick up and effectively drop an item in the same round.

He pushes off a good 18 Toughness click to 17 Invulnerability, so it may be apt to use him for his close combat prowess. Regardless, when Earth Man’s on the team, one may want to want to opt to Legion Lost a team ability that rewards adjacency, since he’s going to need to link up with teammates’ powers to get his 98 points’ worth.Hidden Charm: He’s the cheaper option to bring in the Green Lantern Honor Guard ATA, which allows a swarm team like the Legion to not really waste a single attack as each one, hit or miss, improves the AV of each subsequent attacker. Also, enemy Cosmic keyword can’t use standard Speed powers when he’s on his first few clicks, making him a silver bullet against them.

Invisible Kid (Superman 024) is an essential new addition to aid the Legion’s bunker formation or to help its top fighters stay alive. He does it with his “Shared Invisibility” SP that grants Stealth to a single adjacent Legionnaire. He’s also got his own natural traited Stealth bundled in with his ability to not be seen at all when he’s token-free. ‘Course, this means he needs to be TK’d around to maintain his Full Invisibility, which may not be the way one wishes to burn TK actions. So he’s probably best sent out next to a patch of hindering terrain early on to serve as a later safe point for a Hypersonic or Running Shot pal who needs a hidey-hole. But don’t overlook his second-click Perplex, either, if it’s safe for him to push to get it. The Legion can always use another Perplexer, especially at his 53-point cost. Hidden Charm: Remember Colossal Boy, a potential Defend piece whose Great Size crippled his ability to do so safely on an all-Legion team? With I-Kid here giving him constant Stealth, the big guy can fulfill that role as effectively as Shadow Lass, with the added plus of using Perplex over peoples’ heads.

Matter-Eater Lad (Superman 025), despite the ridiculous name and powerset, is far from just being a points filler — though he excels at that role. He’s an invaluable addition to the Legion for these reasons:

he’s dirt-stinkin’-cheap. Only 35 points and there’s just four characters out of 80+ that cost less.

he’s a tie-up threat with Exploit Weakness and a steady 9 AV.

…who Steals Energy to stick around after click 1.

And he eats walls and objects, including relics. Need an unconventional attack vector on a cramped map? He’s your man. That indestructible hammer relic on the other force troubling you? Send him out to try and heft it, then just eat it if he fails the relic roll. Not enough hindering terrain to work with? Munch away some blocking and leave crumbs for a Legion bunker.

Hidden Charm: He can munch as a free action, so he could work together with Element Lad and Brainy at the beginning of a turn: Break a hole through blocking terrain, B5 Outwits or Perplexes, then E-Lad closes again. Almost as effective is for M-E-Lad to break the wall, move so Brainiac can see, then Element Lad plugs the hole with Barrier before repairing it permanently next turn.

Princess Projectra (Superman 038) made 2011’s list of worst pieces of the year, but she’s not completely worthless. First, like Brainiac and Invisible Kid, she grants a defensive ability to an adjacent Legionnaire — in her case, it’s Super Senses. Second, she’s a short-range Barrier fig that can help ward off enemy fire. Third, she’s pushable to Mind Control and, later down her dial, Smoke Cloud, Stealth and Prob Control. Her 70-point price is steep for her somewhat limited combat or support utility — she’s a back field piece without much effect on the front line game the way an Outwit or Perplex fig would have — but she can turn a game’s tide at the right moment. Hidden Charm: Along with the equally costed and not-so-efficient Element Lad, she can maintain constant Barrier for a Legion bunker to hide behind.

Wildfire (Superman 039) is all about firepower thanks to Energy Explosion and Ranged Combat Expert on his top dial, giving the Legion another heavy shooter. Unfortunately, he doesn’t start with Running Shot (that comes on click 2), so he’s going to need aid from TK to really pull his weight. His stats also aren’t super for his 132 cost. But he’s got a self-healing SP that could come in handy. And his end-dial clicks bear an SP granting Poison and Pulse Wave if someone chases him down to bypass his ESD. Hidden Charm: He’s the first (and only?) Sharpshooter for the Legion, so he’s key for sniping at those foes in the back row.

Starman (Superman 041) is the slightly more grown-up, much more mentally ill version of Star Boy. For 99 points, he mainly brings his JSA symbol and team ability to the team at large, enabling a Legion in proper formation to finally solve its history of low defense values by replacing them with Starman’s and a few others’ 18 DVs. He’s also a Perplexer and, with a push, an Invulnerable Running Shot fig (though you’ll have to give up his 18 DV to get it). Hidden Charm: His Speed SP gives him Phasing/Teleport and if he uses it to base enemies, he knocks their AV -1 for a turn, making him an unorthodox tie-up character.

The Legion wasted no time getting more members in the card era, but were they good members?

In the case of Dream Girl (Justice League 048), the answer is yes. She gave the team its first Probability Control piece to nudge the odds a little more toward success — important for the offense- and actions-challenged Legion. She shifts to Outwit on her late dial. Hidden Charm: It’s vital that she gets line of Fire for her PC, so consider the Coordination feat to ensure she can see from behind a wall of allies.

On the other hand, Bouncing Boy (Justice League 016) is NOT a good addition to the LSH, with a difficult-to-use SP and highly mediocre values. Hidden Charm: His Toughness makes him a decent tie-up piece with some endurance. Also, time his attacks against near-dead foes to best activate his SP for extra attacks.

How did the Legion respond to a Crisis? Answer: with some of its best figs to date.

Supergirl (Crisis 056) improved a bit on earlier bruisers, starting with several clicks of melee-only Hypersonic Speed for 178 points. But her 3 damage is much lower than either Vet M’onel’s or Vet Origin Supergirl’s, she’s still only wielding a 10 AV, and she’s not saving that much in cost. She is a source of the Superman Ally TA, though, for a Legion-only team. Hidden Charm: Get around her weaknesses by staying based with her initial target, where she can use Close Combat Expert, then Quake or Flurry as her dial progresses.

At 63 points, Karate Kid (Crisis 024) provides company for Timber Wolf in the low-cost melee fighting division. Though his AV begins a bit lower at 10, it ramps up to 12 by mid-dial. He needs to be shielded from shooters who’ll make short work of him. Hidden Charm: His 2nd click gains Plasticity and retains CR, so he becomes a mean tie-up piece.

Dawnstar (Crisis 022) added one of the game’s cheapest Hypersonic Speed figs and she also benefited the Legion’s cause with her SP “Quarry” that gives a +1 AV to the whole team against a certain target. Willpower rounds out the 60-point package. Hidden Charm: She excels at drawing fire from more vital members of the team, being relatively hittable with low DV and troublesome to the enemy due to her SP.

Was the Legion crazed enough to enter Arkham Asylum? Yes…barely. Fall 2008’s Arkham Asylum, the last set of the Topps-era WizKids, only added a solitary Legionnaire:

Element Lad (Arkham Asylum 037) was a disappointment. Based on the weakest iteration of the matter-transmuting character, the clix was even more underwhelming. Double-target Incapacitate isn’t good with only a 9 AV. Barrier at 6 range isn’t a whole lot better. The worst bit, though, is the relative uselessness of his Transmute SP: He can destroy 2 adjacent objects or remove hindering, blocking or debris marker within 4 squares and line of fire, but only at beginning of turn. For him to get that close to use it AND have the LOF, his 17 DV will likely have to weather attacks in the turn prior. He’s the first piece to go if you’re having trouble fitting characters on the build. Hidden Charm: Treat him as a Barrier piece, period, until you can’t anymore. This gives the actions-challenged Legion a breather.

The first DC set of the NECA era, Winter 2010’s Brave and the Bold, didn’t have a single Legion of Super-Heroes member. And the DC 75th Anniversary set in late 2010 only has one with the keyword:

Superboy (DC 75th Anniversary 026) provides the Teen Titans TA for an otherwise all-Legion team to copy and heal each other with, along with Superman Ally. He’s also a decent brawler with Charge, Super Strength and 4 damage, if rather expensive at his limited role. Hidden Charm: He can also contribute either the New Teen Titans ATA to give the high-point fig Leadership (possibly himself at 153 points) or the Young Justice ATA to prevent untimely KOs (works particularly well with the bunker formation).

The start of the modern card era of figures was ushered in by the Legion, and the team got a true infusion of playability.

Lightning Lad (Legion of Super-Heroes 001)
A far cry from the lameness that was Live Wire, the 70-point LLad’s 10-range Running Shot + double-target Energy Explosion finally gave the LSH its first cost-efficient moving shooter. Hidden Charm: He benefits greatly from the “bunker formation,” covering a wide swath of map with his attacks while enjoying a potential 19-20 DV from range.

Cosmic Boy (Legion of Super-Heroes 003)
Leadership’s extra-actions and TK are important to the all-flier LSH, and with Cos the team got both in one Willpowered 70-point piece. Hidden Charm: What you see is what you get. Be sure to set him up with clear TK lanes AND keep cheapies next to him for best Leadership results.

Timber Wolf (Legion of Super-Heroes 004)
To this point, the LSH had a few high-cost fighters and a few cheap tie-ups but virtually no low- to mid-range brawlers. Enter T-Wolf at 60 points with Charge and 11 AV. His damage is too low for the former power but it might be worth pushing to use Close Combat Expert if he survives in base with his 16 DV+Super Senses. Find a way to bolster either his DV or damage for best results. He’s an easy KO but a scary one who’ll either take heat off the bigger boys or slip under the radar to deal some real hurt. Hidden Charm: Mid-dial, he gets Earthbound AND Battle Fury. Play accordingly.

Saturn Girl (Legion of Super-Heroes 002)
This 60-costing piece bears 8 range with 9 AV and Incapacitate and 16 DV Super Senses; she doesn’t look like much of an improvement over previous Legionnaires. But she is: She pushes to 10 AV, switches to Energy Shield/Deflection (though with a drop to 15 DV) and adds Mind Control to her skill set. It’s really her mid-dial that shows her Hidden Charm: A SP, “Telepathic Coordination,” that allows her to boost the AV or DV of an ally +2 for the turn. So Saturn Girl should either be used as a minor Incapper, then Mind Controller to push until she gets to her late dial to wield the SP and Outwit as well, or she should be dangled out as bait for the enemy. She absolutely REQUIRES the Legion bunker formation to work.

Phantom Girl (Legion of Super-Heroes 005)
Low DV is a systemic problem for the Legion. Phantom Girl goes a ways toward solving it with her natural, if bare, 18 DV. She has Phasing/Teleport for great freedom of movement, and her SP allows her to remove objects from the game, held or not, by moving through the square or ending up next to one. At only 40 points, she’s one of the team’s best tie-up pieces. Hidden Charm: She’s also one of the best taxis for the few carryable Legionnaires. Use the Legion Lost ATA to pick Justice Society to help her chain her 18 DV and really supercharge the bunker formation.

Ultra Boy (Legion of Super-Heroes 006)
At 130 points, U-Boy is by far the costliest of the set. But he’s the best brick of the entire Legion to this point, able to leverage opening Charge, Super Strength and Impervious with 4 damage to lead the attack of the melee figs. Later, he’s a light-damaging Hypersonic hitter and then switches to a block of Flurry and Penetrating/Psychic Blast. He’s got most of the damage potential of the two previous heavy hitters for more than 90 fewer points. Hidden Charm: Click #2 has Flurry+Super Strength+Battle Fury with his peak AV of 11 and still 17 Impervious.

Young Superman (Legion of Super-Heroes 007)
Superboy here is a straightforward Charging brick with high damage and great DV for a good price: 100 points. Hidden Charm: But don’t forget his 8 range, which might be a better option sometimes.

Shrinking Violet (Legion of Super-Heroes 008)
One of the only non-flying Legionnaires, Vi has natural starting Stealth to make her an inexpensive blocker for more important teammates. She predates Tiny Size. She’s also got Super Senses. Hidden Charm: Carry her to extend AV or DV chains via Batman Enemy or JSA TA team abilities.

Next: the Justice League of the future in the actual Justice League set

The final pre-card set, early 2007’s Origin, had a wealth of Legionnaires, including, finally, a few real heavy hitters, making the Legion of Super-Heroes a force to be reckoned with at last.

M’onel (Origin 075)
Long the second-most-expensive of the Legion at 223 points, he suffers from anemic AV that tops out at 10 but slides all the way down to 7. He also has Battle Fury to start which requires him to push if you want to get use out of his 10 range — though the same power gives him immunity to Incapacitate, Mind Control and Shape Change, so it’s not all bad. And Super-Strong Hypersonic Speed with 5 damage is nothing to sniff at. Hidden Charm: His long, 10-click dial makes him a surprisingly effective tie-up fig on those huge builds after his initial strike. Don’t use him as a tentpole but make sure he’s but one of a wave of attackers for best results.

Mon-El [Origin 073] is the Rookie version and this 118-costed fig might be superior to the Vet. He’s got the same 10 AV and 10 Hypersonic Speed, though with lower 16 DV and no Impervious to start. He’s a lot more disposable. And unfortunately, he has to be, because the Legion is almost devoid of healers. Hidden Charm: He’s an open book, really. Stick and move is his game until he gets knocked off that sole HSS slot. He’s the lightweight brick the LSH has needed up to this point.

The Experienced Valor [Origin 074] lacks the Legion of Super-Heroes keyword despite having the team ability. It’s a pity because his Running Shot would’ve helped.

Supergirl (Origin 057)
At 232 still the costliest member of the LSH at this writing, she boasts a long dial and one of the best starting AVs of the team. But her starting with Charge+Impervious and having to push to the superior HSS but downgrading to Invulnerability makes her unable to carry her weight in any build total anymore. She’s been thoroughly upstaged by the new bruisers of the keyword. Hidden Charm: Though she’s entirely too expensive to be solely a shooter, forget about her close combat skills in the early game and leverage her massive 10 range until enemies wander within her melee reach.

Triplicate Girl [Origin 052-054] and Duo Damsel [Origin 204]
She offers the Legion a few needed tools. First, the Rookie at 35 points is an improved Plasticity tie-up figure with a par-for-the-LSH 17 DV. Though her 8 AV isn’t threatening anyone of consequence, her five clicks of life will allow her to absorb a couple of shots — and her late Flurry+Willpower means she might go down fighting. But the fighting is better left to her big sis, the 50-point Exp. who starts with the Flurry to help that 8 AV. Too bad she has to push to Willpower and 10 AV on click 2, but you’re glad to see it. Later she shifts to Plasticity and Perplex. But why not pay 15 more for the Vet and her starting Charge and Perplex? The LSH needs the help. On the rest of her dial, she’s all Willpower along with the Flurry and Plasticity her little sisters feature. The 46-point LE Duo Damsel bolsters her starting Plasticity with 16 DV Combat Reflexes, but the rest of her dial is much less impressive than any of the others’. Hidden Charm: The REV should be played together on a big team. Know their roles. The Rookie is all tie-up. Expect to lose those points. The Exp. is sort of a fighting tie-up but not very good at it until she becomes a Perplexer. Expect to lose those points, too. The Vet should be just Perplexing.
Remember these girls because they’ll get some help down the line.

Next: The Legion is the future of HeroClix. Expect anything!…on Monday

In early 2006, Collateral Damage only added a solitary new Legionnaire to the roster. But it was a game-changer for the team, big time.

Shadow Lass (Collateral Damage 034-036)
Until now, no Legion of Super-Heroes member has had a DV greater than 16, a decidedly average number even then. But with the introduction of the 56-point Exp. Umbra and Vet Shadow Lass at 10 more (don’t bother with the 44-point Rookie on Legion teams), not only did the LSH get its first fig with 17 DV, but she also shared it with Defend! This was so key for LSH teams, which tended to be easy to hit thanks to low stats and easy to hurt due to lack of armor. Singlehandedly, she made some of those terrible old figures playable. Hidden Charm: Umbra is central to the Legion’s “bunker” formation, where she occupies a bit of hindering terrain and is surrounded by a set of ranged attackers who share her 17 DV perpetually. At need, she can toss out the now-more-useful-than-ever Smoke Cloud or an occasional 3-damage attack. But her role is covering the team.

Bonus: The DC Giants Collector’s Set featured a Legionnaire; in fact, his silhouette was used in the package’s branding!

Colossal Boy (Giants 003), at 115 points, is a rare non-flier for the squad, instead using Giant Stride and Leap/Climb to get around. He’s also the second fig that provides the “bunker” formation with his 17 Defend. Unfortunately, he’s not nearly as good at it as his immediate predecessor, Shadow Lass, due to his giant stature making him a big, soft target for enemy shooters. (Though there are ways to mitigate this weakness.) Hidden Charm: Colossal Boy is a rare Perplexer for the Legion, and thanks to his height, he can affect the battlefield over the heads of smaller figs. Find a way to protect his soft defense on those early clicks; future installments will show how.